Overview

Position: DL

College: Ohio State

Class: Junior

Age: 21

 

Measurables

Height: 6’3”

Weight: 326 lbs.

Arm length: N/A

Hand size: N/A

 

Athletic testing

40-yard dash: N/A

10-yard split: N/A

Vertical jump: N/A

Broad jump: N/A

Bench press: N/A

3-cone drill: N/A

Short shuttle: N/A

 

Strengths

Tremendous overall size. Thick and athletic lower half. Excellent overall strength. Terrific play recognition and awareness. Outstanding technique to stack and shed. Extends with power and peaks into the backfield while holding his ground. Will hold his ground on impact and keep his positioning to disengage and make the tackle. Very good reaction time as a tackler. Can power through double teams. Shows his power engaging with interior blockers and holding his ground. Brushes off blockers and squares up to tackle ball-carriers in the hole. Will anchor down and try working back inside to play cutbacks. Great effort to work through blocks. Physical sticking his nose in to tackle. Will push blockers into the backfield off the ball and make the tackle. Quick reaction time off the ball. Shows an ability to dip underneath a block off the ball. Flashes quickness to get to the side of blockers at the snap and hold his ground in the hole. Showed a swim move to penetrate at the snap. Exceptional strength and balance to stay on his feet. Can get low when pinching in to plug things up in short-yardage situations. Has some nimbleness and range to tackle inside. Impressive closing burst. Wraps up to finish. Very strong to bring opponents down when he gets a hand on them. Has a knack for ripping the ball out while tackling. Quality pursuit hustle chasing ball-carriers down the field. Experience both as a nose tackle and three-technique. Has shown a swim move as a rusher. Provides fire and energy up front. Shows swagger and acts like a defensive back celebrating.

 

Weaknesses

Average burst and twitch. Lacks a motor as a rusher with slow feet trying to push the pocket. Would like to see earlier and more active hand usage as a rusher. More of a run stuffer than a penetrator. Could be better trying to tackle with force rather than letting ball-carriers into him and wrapping them down to the ground. Inconsistent quickness to disengage laterally. Would like to see more aggression trying to shoot through a gap when it’s there working laterally. Can get moved to the side by double teams when not prepared for it.

 

NFL comparison

Dalvin Tomlinson

 

Conclusion

Overall, McDonald is a big, run-stuffing defensive lineman with excellent strength and technique versus the run. The lack of effectiveness as a pass rusher holds him back right now, but there is reason to be encouraged about untapped potential based on his strength and flashes of athleticism.

 

Big Board ranking: #29 | Positional ranking: #2